Derreck Ogden with his daughter in Stuart, Florida

Derreck Ogden
for City of Stuart Commissioner | Group 3

Protect What Makes Stuart Special

Responsible growth. Protected waterways. A Stuart that still feels like Stuart — for our kids and theirs.

Meet Derreck
Keep Stuart, Stuart
Meet Derreck

I'm just a Stuart guy trying to keep Stuart, Stuart.

I've lived in Stuart for more than twenty years. My daughter was born here. I grew up nearby in Jupiter and watched the same kind of overdevelopment slowly erase a lot of what made South Florida special — the quiet waterways, the mangroves, the wildlife, the old-Florida feel.

I'm running for City Commission because I want Stuart to still feel like Stuart when my daughter grows up — so she can raise her family here too.

I'm not here to shake things up. Things have been shaken pretty hard already. Thousands of apartments approved, many of which haven't even broken ground. A massive Costco complex with several hundred more apartments going in. Traffic is already stop-and-go, and we have yet to feel the full effect of projects already approved.

My job, if I'm elected, is to slow this down, hold the line on zoning and land classification changes, and make sure the people who already live here come before developers and special interests.

  • 20+ years in Stuart
  • Father, raising his daughter here
  • Runs a nationwide IT & compliance business
  • Background in civics and municipal operations
  • No developer money. No PAC money.
Issues

Where I Stand

Specifics, not slogans. Here's what I'll actually do on the Commission.

See the record for yourself.

Every residential development vote on the Stuart City Commission — the projects, the density, whether the rules got changed, and how each vote went. Linked to the city's own meeting videos.

For the Record
The Stakes

This Is the Last Small Town on This Stretch of the Coast

"Once it's gone, you don't get it back."

St. Lucie County is to the north. Palm Beach County is to the south. Look at what's happened to Pompano, Deerfield, Jupiter. That's the road Stuart is on if we don't slow down.

Eventually developers will win some of these fights. That's just how it works. But how long it takes us to get there — and how much of Stuart is left when we do — depends on who's sitting on the City Commission and whether they have the spine to vote no to deviating from our comprehensive plan in a way that hurts our city.

A weak commission attracts the wrong kind of buyer. If a developer thinks they can steamroll or sweet-talk a few commissioners into changing zoning every time they show up with a project, they'll keep buying land in Stuart on speculation. A strong commission that holds the line on the Comprehensive Plan changes the math — and the wrong kind of developer stops coming here.

I'm not against growth. I'm against irresponsible growth. There's a difference, and Stuart deserves leaders who know it.

FAQ

Real Questions From Stuart Voters

Derreck Ogden is a 20+ year Stuart resident, single father, and small business owner running for City of Stuart Commissioner, Group 3 — the seat vacated by former Mayor Christopher Collins in April 2026. He runs a nationwide IT, cybersecurity, and compliance company and is running a grassroots campaign capped at $100 per donor.